Geography
Seven Hills is a suburb located approximately 34 kilometres west of the Sydney CBD within the local government areas of the City of Parramatta and Blacktown City councils. It is part of the Greater Western Sydney region of Sydney and is sometimes referred to as part of the Hills District.
History
Before European settlement in the 1790s, Seven Hills was originally settled and occupied by indigenous people who most likely belonged to the Warmuli and Toogagal clans of the Darug tribe.
As early as April 1788, the vicinity of Seven Hills was possibly visited by Arthur Phillip. More certainly, it was visited by Watkin Tench in June 1789. John Redmond, a former marine soldier, was given the first land grant by the colonial administration in May 1793. He was granted 60 acres of land (24 ha) adjacent to a track which later became Station Road.
More than 13 further grants were made in this area before 1800. In 1795, Matthew Pearce was granted 160 acres (65 ha)) of land. He named the area after Kings Langley in Hertfordshire, England, where he was said to have been born. From about 1800, the area of the land granted to Pearce and bounded by the present Old Windsor Road, Seven Hills Road, Chapel Lane, and Toongabbie Creek became known as Seven Hills. This naming was reportedly due to his farm being situated near the seventh hill along the road from Parramatta. Seven Hills encompassed a much larger area as late as the 1900s.
By 1917, Australia was confronting the problem of providing suitable employment for World War I veterans. The government acquired a farm to aid able-bodied, disabled, and limbless veterans make an adequate living for themselves and their families through poultry farming. From the 1940s, the farm was the site of research into poultry husbandry leading to significant improvements in the efficiency of poultry farming both in Australia and overseas.
By the 1970s, housing schemes excised land that was previously part of Seven Hills. This created the suburbs of Kings Langley and Lalor Park.
Demographics
From the latest survey, Australian is the most common ancestry at 21.8%. This is followed by English 19.3%, Indian 6.9%, Irish 6.1%, and Scottish 4.4%. Of the Seven Hills population, 59.4% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were India 6.9%, Sri Lanka 2.7%, England 2.4%, Philippines 2.3%, and China (excluding SARs and Taiwan) 2.0%.
At 61.1%, most people exclusively spoke English at home. Other prominent languages spoken at home included Tamil 3.5%, Hindi 3.1%, Arabic 2.8%, Punjabi 2.5%, and Cantonese 1.9%. Catholic is the most common response for religion at 30.8%. This is followed by Anglican 16.4%, No Religion 12.1%, Hinduism 8.2%, and Islam 3.8%.
Housing and Community
Seven Hills is a predominantly residential suburb with a multicultural population. Closed in one end, Florida Place is stereotypical of many residential streets in Seven Hills. The buildings show a transition from the mid-20th century single-storey mixed construction dwellings to replacement two-storey brick veneer dwellings built in the 2000s, the latter having more than two times the floor space of the former.
On the other hand, Leabons Lane is representative of streets that are used as transport corridors. It is a mix of residential and light commercial use. Despite being narrow, it functions as a busy thoroughfare linking the residential areas of south Seven Hills with Blacktown.
Presently, the median house price in Seven Hills is $776,450 while the median unit price is $630,000.
Education
Seven Hills has many educational institutions, with at least six early childhood educational facilities including two owned and operated by Blacktown City Council.
Seven Hills is home to K-6 government schools such as Bert Oldfield Public School, Seven Hills Public School, Seven Hills North Public School, and The Meadows Public School. The Seven Hills West Public School is a P-6 government school, and Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School is a K-6 Roman Catholic systemic school also situated in the area.
Formerly known as Grantham High School, Hills Sports High School is a 7-12 government high school which offers a Talented Sports Program and is also the location of a Saturday Community Languages School. Immigrant students particularly benefit from the said program. The Seven Hills High School is a 7-10 government high school and a feeder for the 11-12 Wyndham College.
Transport
Through the Penrith Line, Sydney Trains provides regular services from Seven Hills to Central in roughly 34 minutes. Seven Hills railway station is a major interchange on the North Shore & Western Line of the Sydney Trains network with more than 2000 commuter parking spaces.
Three major arterial roads link Seven Hills to other parts of Sydney. These are the M2 Hills Motorway, M4 Western Motorway, and Westlink M7. Private bus operator Hillsbus provides regular services to Sydney CBD and Macquarie Park. Baulkham Hills, Blacktown, Bella Vista, Castle Hill, Kings Langley, Parramatta, Pendle Hill, and Toongabbie are also serviced by bus. Other major roads in the suburb are the Prospect Highway and Seven Hills Road.
Commerce
Adjacent to Prospect Highway and slightly to the southwest of the railway station is Seven Hills Plaza. It is a major shopping centre home to grocery shops such as Woolworths and ALDI. It has over 90 stores ranging from fresh food, casual dining, health and beauty, travel, fashion, medical, general services, and major banks. It is easily accessible with plenty of parking space and is conveniently situated next to the Seven Hills Station. Additionally, a very large number of industrial and commercial developments are contained in the area to the north of the railway.
Recreation
The Heritage Park has some of the last vestiges of Cumberland Plain woodlands and the Grantham Heritage Park Memorial which commemorates the soldier settlers and trainees. It hosts the Sustainability Hub which is an environmental education centre that aims to inspire the community to be more environmentally aware and to embrace a more sustainable lifestyle.